Lightweight triplex plunger pump

ABSTRACT

The lightweight triplex plunger pump provides high pressure and flow output in a compact unit size. The lightweight triplex plunger pump can be used in a number of machines where there is a need for high pressure/high flow ultra-portable device. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention is mostly comprised of a crank casing having a crankshaft and a plunger assembly which are enclosed within the crank casing; as well as a pump head or a fluid chamber for handling the fluid. The pump head further includes a suction manifold connected with the fluid reservoir through an inlet; a discharge manifold that pumps out the pressurized fluid through outlet; and a pump chamber for compressing the pump using the reciprocating movement of the plunger. Both the suction manifold and the discharge manifold includes openings that open within the pump chamber and valve configured within said opening. The movement of the plunger causes valves to open or close to suck the fluid from the suction manifold into the pump chamber and pump out the pressurized fluid out of the pump chamber into the discharge manifold.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reciprocating plunger pump. More particularly, to a low weight, compact triplex plunger pump for operating at a fixed, high pressure and high flow pressure rate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

High pressure triplex plunger pumps are in no short supply. One can easily find a triplex pump ranging in any flow and pressure variation combination for a given use case scenario. However, in regards to ultra-portable uses cases, where equipment may be physically carried or moved by an end user for an extended period of time, current triplex pumps available on the market are not suitable for these sort of use cases.

One major design consideration with conventional pumps is the need to ruggedize a pump for harsh environmental conditions often encountered in industrial settings. Though this design concerns is valid for these intended use cases, they are however disqualifiers for other non-conforming usage scenarios; mainly because conventional high pressure and high flow triplex pumps often use heavy metals and other materials to achieve an acceptable level of ruggedness for some general-purpose heavy duty use case. There is therefore need for a triplex pump that may provide high pressure and high flow capabilities of a conventional pump that is suitable for ultra-portable use cases. The present invention therefore takes into consideration the pressure and flow efficiency of conventional pumps as it relates to lower weight and size requirements when applied to, for example, an ultra-portable high-powered sprayers, which requires a light weight, compact pump with on par performance with that of a conventional pump.

Therefore, there is a significant need for a compact and a low weight plunger pump capable of providing on par or better performance with that of a traditional pump without the weight and size constraints associated with a traditional pump. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a compact, light-weight triplex plunger pump for operating at a fixed high pressure and high flow rate. The aforementioned requirements are capable of being used in machines which require high amount of pressure, along with high flow rates and a low weight capable of functioning within a confined space. Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention provisions a plunger pump made of lightweight, high strength durable material capable of withstanding the stress required to operate a traditional high pressure and a high flow pump. Moreover, there also exists the need for a triplex plunger pump that can be used in high-powered spraying devices to provide a fixed fluid pressure and flow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The below summary is provided to introduce select concepts pertaining to the present invention. Details of the present invention are discussed further in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The present invention overcomes one or more shortcomings of the prior art and provides additional advantages which are discussed throughout this application for the present invention. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques and novel features of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of claims for the present invention.

According to one embodiment, the invention provides a compact triplex plunger pump for use in ultra-portable usage applications, where the pump may operate at a specific high flow rate and pressure, (i.e. 1 GPM (Gallon Per Minute at a pressure capacity of 1000 PSI). According to the present embodiment, the compact pump of the invention provides an improved design of the plunger pump which further decreases the weight and size of the pump. This requirement is processed while keeping the output flow and pressure range high which is often a requirement for various machines/equipment where the weight/size/space for the pump creates a problem. As a result, this aspect of the present invention increases the size of the machine.

The plunger pump which relates to the present invention is capable of being used in multiple machines along with other equipment. The present invention caters the requirement of a light weight and compact sized pump with high pressure and high flow output that can be used in the process of high power spraying. According to one embodiment, the triplex plunger pump relating to the present invention is made up of a crankcase having a crankshaft chamber for placement of crankshaft and 3 (three) separate chambers which are perpendicular to the main axis of the crankshaft chamber which are present for the configuration of plunger assemblies within each separate chamber. Each crankcase assembly is connected at each bearing journals of the crankshaft which serves for the rotation of the crankshaft, thereby, causing reciprocating movement of the plunger assembly within their respective chambers.

The triplex plunger pump which relates to the present invention further includes a pump head attached with the crank casing which results in a forward movement of the plunger, thereby, compressing the fluid within a pump chamber of the pump head. The pump head includes a pump chamber which is attached with the suction manifold and the discharge manifold. This embodiment further has 3 (three) suction chambers and 3 (three) discharge chambers respectively. Each of these chambers include an opening that opens within the pump chamber and a valve configured within each of the openings. As a result, the movement of which opens or closes the aforementioned opening.

Each plunger assembly is in communication with a pair of 1 (one) discharge chamber and a suction chamber. Both of these chambers reside within the pump chamber. The mechanism causes reciprocating movement of the plunger which causes suction of the fluid from the suction chamber. This compression of the fluid within the pump chamber results in discharge of the pressurized compressed fluid out in the discharge chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary and the following detailed description of the invention is utilized to better understand the present invention when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, exemplary constructions of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific methods and structures disclosed herein. The description of a method, step or a structure referenced by a numeral in a drawing is applicable to the description of that method, step or structure shown by that same numeral in any subsequent drawing herein.

FIG. 1 depicts one exemplary embodiment of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention.

FIG. 2 portrays the exploded view of the lightweight triplex plunger pump referenced in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts crank casing of lightweight triplex plunger pump being referred in the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows crank shaft of the lightweight triplex plunger pump designed to achieve the specific flow and pressure rating.

FIG. 5 shows a plunger of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows view of a cross head to connect plunger with the crank shaft of the present lightweight triplex plunger pump.

FIG. 7 portrays view of a fluid chamber or a pump head of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. Going ahead with the present application, this part will discuss the multiple novel features and advantages of the present invention in an exhaustive way. Also, the following description includes various specific details and are to be regarded as exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that: without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention and its various embodiments, there may be a number of changes and modifications described herein.

One of the embodiments of the present invention provides a compact and a low weight triplex plunger pump to achieve fixed flow rate and pressure for fluids applications. The triplex plunger pump of present invention is capable of providing a fixed flow rate which may be used in cleaning applications. The present embodiment provides a compact designed pump with a high pressure output which has the capability of being used in industries where there is a requirement of high pressured fluid output with the presence of compact sized pump.

According to one embodiment, the present lightweight triplex plunger pump is comprising mainly of: a crank case having a crankshaft connected with plurality of a plunger assemblies that traverse with the rotation of the crankshaft, wherein the crankcase encloses the crankshaft and the sets of the plunger assemblies; and a pump head having a suction manifold, a discharge manifold, a pump chamber, and a plurality of valves configured within the suction manifold and discharge manifold.

According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the discharge manifold is configured above the pump chamber and includes plurality of openings opening within the pump chamber. The discharge manifold further includes the plurality of valves which is configured within each of the plurality of openings such that displacement of each valve opens or closes the opening. The suction manifold of present invention is configured at the bottom of the pump chamber and further includes a plurality of openings opening within the pump chamber. Each of the opening of the suction manifold further comprises of valves that opens or closes the opening when displaced due to the fluid pressure. The suction manifold is thereby connected with the fluid source through a fluid inlet, while the discharge manifold includes a discharge outlet to pump out the pressurized fluid out of the pump.

According to one of the embodiments, the plunger assembly is made of a plunger which is connected with the crankshaft through a cross head and a connection rod such that rotation of the crankshaft causes the plunger to traverse within and out of the pump chamber compressing the fluid present within the chamber. According to one embodiment, the crankshaft is connected with electric motor that rotates the crankshaft. As a result, it causes movement of the plunger.

When we refer to FIG. 1, we observe that it illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention. According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the plunger pump is made up of a crank case 1 (one) having a crankshaft 2 (two) which is enclosed within the crankshaft chamber and a plunger assembly attached with the crankshaft perpendicular to the crankshaft and configured within the separate chambers within the crankcase 1 (one) for the plunger assembly. This results in the plunger being moved forward and backward with the rotation of the crankshaft.

The embodiment in the present invention refers to a pump head 23 (twenty-three) which is connected within the crankcase, wherein the pump head includes plurality of a discharge chambers within a discharge manifold, a pump chamber and as well as a suction manifold having plurality of suction chambers. Each discharge chamber and suction chamber includes openings that opens within the pump chamber.

Further, each chamber includes a valve which is configured within the opening such that the valve opens or closes respective opening for transfer of fluid(s).

FIG. 2 represents an exploded view of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention. According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the lightweight triplex plunger pump is made of the crank case 1 (one) having a crankshaft 2 (two) enclosed within the crank case 1 (one) such that the pulley end of the crankshaft 2 (two) extends out of the crankcase 1 (one) to allow connection of the crankshaft 2 (two) with the electric motor to rotate the crankshaft 2 (two). According to the current embodiment, the crank case 1 (one) further includes 3 (three) separate sections for placement of 3 (three) plunger assemblies within the crank case 1 (one), connected with the crankshaft 2 (two) and capable to move forward and backward with rotation of the crankshaft 2 (two) within each separate plunger sections.

According to one embodiment, each plunger assembly is made of a plunger 9 (nine), a cross head 7 (seven), a connecting rod 3 (three), and a connecting rod end cap 4 (four). The connecting rod 3 (three) and the connecting rod end cap 4 (four) connects the cross head 7 (seven) with bearing journals of the crankshaft 2 (two) through a connecting rod bearing 6 (six) and plurality of a connecting screws 5 (five). The cross head connects with the connecting rod 3 (three) using a cross head pin 8 (eight) from 1 (one) end and with the plunger 9 (nine) from the opposite end such that the rotation of the crankshaft 2 (two) causes linear movement or displacement of the plunger 9 (nine) within the plunger section. According to one embodiment, the crank case 1 (one) comprises of a concentric aperture at the sides of the crank case 1 (one) to fix the crankshaft 2 (two) within the crankshaft chamber. At one aperture, the crank shaft 2 (two) is configured using a spherical roller bearing 11 (eleven), a circlip 13 (thirteen) and an end cap for bearing 14 (fourteen), wherein this assembly allows crankshaft 2 (two) to rotate freely. Further, a first bearing cover 15 (fifteen) is attached over said first aperture using the screws 18 (eighteen) to hide the bearing 14 (fourteen) and other components visible from said first aperture as well as to protect the components from direct contact with environment and dust.

In lines with the current embodiment, the opposite end of the crankshaft 2 (two) fixes within the second side aperture of the crank case 1 (one) using a bearing 11 (eleven) and a radial shaft seal 12 (twelve) that allows rotation of the crankshaft 2 (two) while keeping other components stationary. Moving forward, the second bearing cover 16 (sixteen) that covers the second aperture to cover the second bearing 11 (eleven) and the radial shaft seal 12 (twelve). The second bearing cover further includes another aperture of small radius to conform with the width of the pulley end of the crankshaft 2 (two) and in order to allow the pulley end of the crankshaft 2 (two) to extend out through the second bearing 11 (eleven), radial shaft seal 12 (twelve) and the second bearing cover 16 (sixteen) to connect with the electric motor that rotates the crankshaft 2 (two).

According to one of the embodiments of the present invention, the two sides of the crankcase 1 (one), and a pump head 23 (twenty-three) connects at one side while the opposite side is covered with the crank case cover 10 (ten) using the screws. The crank case cover includes an aperture at the center with an oil level sight glass 19 (nineteen) fixed over it that makes the level of oil visible for the user, and a discharge hole with a discharge plug 20 (twenty) configured over it that allows the user to discharge the oil from the pump if it is needed.

The pump head 23 (twenty-three) is configured at the opposite side of the crank case cover 10 (ten) using a plurality of screws 41 (forty-one), and an O-ring 22 (twenty-two) which is placed between the crank case 1 (one) and the pump head 23 (twenty-three) to prevent oil/fluid leakage. According to one embodiment, the pump head 23 (twenty-three) is made up of a suction manifold at the bottom; a pump chamber at the center and a discharge manifold at the top of the pump head 23 (twenty-three). Both the suction manifold and the discharge manifold includes 3 (three) apertures opening within the pump chambers aligned with the direction of movement of three plungers 9 (nine). Further, the suction manifold includes a suction valve configured within all the openings/apertures that opens or closes the opening to transfer the fluid from the inlet to the pump chamber. The discharge manifold also includes a discharge valve which is configured within all the openings between the discharge manifold and the pump chamber to allow or prevent pressurized fluid to transmit from the pump chamber to the discharge manifold and discharge out of the pump through an outlet.

According to one embodiment, each of the plunger assembly of the plunger pump is aligned and associated with a set of 1 (one) suction valve and 1 (one) discharge valve within the pump chamber. According to 1 (one) embodiment, the suction valves and the discharge valves are placed contrary to each other in order for 1 (one) valve of the set associated with the plunger assembly to open while the other one closes. According to 1 (one) embodiment, when the plunger 9 (nine) moves backward from the pump chamber to the crankcase 1 (one), it creates a vacuum within the respective pump chamber which subsequently opens the suction valve allowing the fluid to enter within the pump chamber, thereby, keeping the discharge valve closed as it is configured contrary to the suction valve of the pump head 23 (twenty-three). With the rotation of crank shaft 2 (two), when that plunger 9 (nine) moves forward towards the pump chamber, it pushes the fluid which creates pressure within the fluid, causing the discharge valve to open and the suction valve to close, which in turn causes pressurized fluid to transfer from the pump chamber to the discharge manifold and out of the pump chamber 23 (twenty-three) through outlet.

According to one embodiment, the plunger assembly further includes an inner support ring 35 (thirty-five) for plunger 9 (nine); a plunger seal 36 (thirty-six); an outer pressure ring 37 (thirty-seven); an O-ring 38 (thirty-eight); a low pressure seal 39 (thirty-nine); and a low pressure seal cover 40 (forty).

When we refer to FIG. 3, there is an observation that depicts a crank casing 1 (one) of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention. According to the present embodiment, the crank casing 1 (one) includes a main body having a concentric, parallel aperture 102 (one hundred and two) at both the sides of the main body 101 (one hundred and one) for installment of the crankshaft such that the crank case 1 (one) may enclose whole crank shaft but just the pulley end of the crankshaft may extend out of the crank casing 1 (one). According to one embodiment, out of the remaining two sides, the side 103 (one hundred and three) adjacent to the crankshaft is covered using a crank case cover. The opposite side includes 3 (three) separate channels 104 (one hundred and four) for placement of the plunger assembly and an opening that opens within the pump chamber when the pump head is connected with the crank casing 1 (one) at that side 104 (one hundred and four).

FIG. 4 depicts the crank shaft 2 (two) of the lightweight triplex plunger pump designed to achieve specific flow and pressure rating which includes 3 (three) bearing journals 201 (two hundred and one) for connection of the 3 (three) plunger assemblies as had been suggested from the name of the present invention. A counterweights 202 (two hundred and two) between each of the bearing journals 201 (two hundred and one) and a pulley end 203 (two hundred and three) to connect the crankshaft 2 (two) with the electric motor.

FIG. 5 signifies a plunger 9 (nine) of the lightweight triplex plunger pump of the present invention having a plunger head 901 (nine hundred and one) and a connector 902 (nine hundred and two) that connects the plunger 9 (nine) with the cross head which further connects the plunger with the crankshaft through a connection rod. While, the FIG. 6 shows view of a cross head 7 (seven), where the one end 701 (seven hundred and one) of the cross head 7 (seven) connects with the plunger 9 (nine) when the opposite end 702 (seven hundred and two) of the crosshead connects with the connection rod which in turn connects with the crank shaft.

FIG. 7 represents a broad view of a fluid chamber or a pump head 23 (twenty-three) of the present invention. The pump head 23 (twenty-three) is made up of a discharge manifold 2301 (twenty-three hundred and one) connected with a discharge pipe through outlet 2304 (twenty-three hundred and four) to pump out the pressurized fluid coming from the pump chamber. A pump chamber 2302 (twenty-three hundred and two) at the middle of the pump head 23 (twenty-three) and a suction manifold 2303 (twenty-three hundred and three) at the bottom of the pump head 23 (twenty-three) and connected with the fluid reservoir through an inlet pipe 2305 (twenty-three hundred and five). According to present embodiment, the suction manifold 2303 (twenty-three hundred and three) and discharge manifold 2301 (twenty-three hundred and one) includes plurality of chambers each opening within the pump chamber 2302 (twenty-three hundred and two) and each having a valve configured within the opening such that the movement of valve may open or close the opening.

According to one of the embodiments, each valve is configured within the opening and connected with the spring that may close the valve when fluid pressure is not present over the valve. According to one embodiment, the valves of suction manifold and the discharge manifold reciprocates within their respective chambers resulting in only one type of valve which is open at a moment in one chamber keeping another one closed depending on the movement of the plunger. According to the current embodiment, the triplex plunger pump of the present invention is made up of, but is not limited to a thermoset material such as epoxy, silicone, polyurethane or phenolic.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments has successfully revealed the general nature of the present invention. It is observed that others can readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept by applying current knowledge. Hence, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein. It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures and drawings illustrates only the typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 

1. A lightweight triplex plunger pump comprising: a crank case having a crankshaft chamber and three plunger assembly chambers, which are in parallel to each other and perpendicular to a main axis of the crankshaft chamber; a crankshaft configured within the crankshaft chamber such that a pulley end of the crankshaft extends out of the crank case; at least 1 (one) plunger assembly is configured within each of the 3 (three) plunger assembly chambers and connected with the crankshaft, where the rotation of the crankshaft causes reciprocating movement of each plunger assembly within their respective plunger assembly chamber; a pump head connected with the crank case in a way that forward movement of each plunger assembly ends within the pump head causing a fluid to compress and pump out from the pump head; wherein the pump head further comprises: a pump chamber where the plunger assembly compresses the fluid; a suction manifold having a plurality of suction chamber openings within the pump chamber; a discharge manifold having a plurality of discharge chamber openings within the pump chamber; at least one suction pump configured within each opening of the plurality of suction chambers to open or close said opening; at least one discharge pump configured within each opening of the plurality of discharge chambers to open or close said opening; wherein each of the plurality of suction chamber is aligned with at least 1 (one) of the plurality of discharge chambers and at least 1 (one) of the 3 (three) plunger assemblies.
 2. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the pulley end of the crankshaft is connected with an electric motor to rotate the crankshaft.
 3. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the plunger assembly is made of a plunger connected with the crankshaft through a cross head and a connecting rod.
 4. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 3, wherein the connecting rod and the connecting rod end cap connects the cross head with a bearing journal of the crankshaft through a connecting rod bearing and a plurality of connecting screws.
 5. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the suction manifold of the pump head includes an inlet configured to connect the suction manifold with a fluid reservoir.
 6. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the discharge manifold includes an outlet to pump-out a pressurized fluid.
 7. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the lightweight triplex plunger pump is made of a thermoset material such as epoxy, silicone, polyurethane or phenolic.
 8. The lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 1, wherein the triplex plunger pump may provide an output at a minimum of 1 gpm at 1000 psi pressure.
 9. A method of working a lightweight triplex plunger pump which comprises of: providing a lightweight triplex plunger pump further comprising of: a crankshaft enclosed within a crankshaft chamber of a crank case, wherein a pulley end of the crankshaft extends out of the crank case and further connected with an electric motor which rotates the crankshaft; a three sets of a plunger assemblies each configured within a separate plunger assembly chamber within the crank case and each set of the plunger assembly is connected with the crankshaft, wherein the rotation of the crankshaft causes reciprocating movement of the plunger assembly within their respective plunger assembly chamber; a pump head connected with the crankcase which further includes a suction manifold having a plurality of suction chambers; a discharge manifold having a plurality of discharge chambers; and a pump chamber, wherein each suction chamber of the plurality of suction chambers and each discharge chamber of the plurality of discharge chamber includes an opening that opens within the pump chamber; at least 1 (one) suction valve configured within the opening of each suction chamber of the plurality of suction chambers to open or close said openings; and at least 1 (one) discharge valve configured within each opening of each discharge chamber of the plurality of discharge chambers to open or close said openings; wherein the suction manifold is connected with a fluid reservoir using an inlet while the discharge manifold includes an outlet to discharge the fluid out of the pump;
 10. The method of working a lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 9 further includes steps of rotating the crankshaft using the electric motor that in turn moves the plunger in a forward and backward direction.
 11. The method of working of a lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 9, wherein the backward direction movement of the plunger creates a vacuum within the pump head causing the suction pump to move and open the opening causing the fluid to suck in the pump chamber from the suction chamber while keeping discharge valve close.
 12. The method of working of a lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 9, wherein the forward movement of the plunger compresses the fluid within the pump chamber that in turn opens the discharge valve causing a pressurized fluid to pump out within the discharge chamber and hence out of the lightweight triplex plunger pump through the outlet.
 13. The method of working a lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 9, wherein the triplex plunger pump may provide a pressurized fluid output of at least 1 GPM at 1000 PSI.
 14. The method of working a lightweight triplex plunger pump of claim 9, wherein the lightweight triplex plunger pump is made up of a thermoset material such as epoxy, silicone, polyurethane or phenolic. 